Marco Rubio lies about climate science while Florida drowns

After Florida was hit by the devastating Hurricane Michael this week, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) made it clear he would rather lie about climate change, which makes these storms worse, than commit to doing anything to stop it.

On Sunday morning’s edition of CNN’s “State of the Union,” host Jake Tapper pressed Rubio about the recent United Nations report on climate change, which predicts global catastrophe if carbon emissions are not cut dramatically in the next 12 years.

“Do you believe [climate change] is, at least in part, man-made?” Tapper asked.

Rubio said that while scientists agree that human behavior is “contributing” to climate change, “I can’t tell you what percentage of that is due to human activity.”

He also claimed that “many scientists” would “debate the percentage of what is attributable to man, versus normal fluctuations.”

“No matter what we do with laws — let’s say we went to all solar panels and did all that stuff, which is not realistic — this trend [of sea-level rise] would still continue,” Rubio said.

Instead of clean energy or reducing emissions, Rubio said he is focused on “strategies to mitigate those factors that are going be in place no matter what happens with our energy policy.”

But, he added, “I’m also not going to destroy our economy.”

Almost every word out of Rubio’s mouth was either a lie or a shameful dodge.

There is overwhelming scientific consensus, including from the United States government, that human activity is the main driver of climate change.

There is no “debate” among scientists about this. Human society is overwhelmingly responsible for our warming planet.

That’s why it makes no sense to quibble, as Rubio does, about exactly what “percentage” of climate change is caused by humans. No matter what, the answer is “most or all of it.”

And contrary to Rubio’s assertions, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report says that drastic reductions in carbon emissions could, in fact, prevent the most catastrophic effects of climate change. 

The report says that in order to avoid irreversible global warming, “Global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) would need to fall by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching ‘net zero’ around 2050.” 

Reducing our carbon emissions will also reduce the effects of climate change. It’s as simple as that.

But Rubio apparently wants to throw up his hands and claim that since rising seas will drown Florida no matter what, all we can really do is strengthen levies or lift up roads and buildings.

Rubio also seems to think that reducing carbon emissions would do more to “destroy our economy” than, say, allowing 1 million Florida homes to flood by the end of this century.

Unfortunately, Republicans like Rubio have joined Trump in ignoring science, and doing everything they can to keep pumping as much carbon into the atmosphere as they can get away with.

Americans deserve leaders who will do everything they can to prevent the catastrophic effects of climate change, instead of waffling and lying about it like Rubio.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.